“So how are you going to work it out?”
“Not sure. Have any ideas?”
“Nope. Sorry.”
“I have a crazy idea, but I’m not sure if it will work.”
“It’s not like the great idea you had of breaking into the labs is it?”
“Kind of.” She grinned.
* * *
The next day, Caleb was driving on his way to Cliffton, wondering how on earth he was persuaded to do it. He remembered that there had been a fantastic meal, accompanied by some wine. Then there was some more wine and a blur of divine nakedness. Now here he was cruising up the highway – he shook his head with a laugh to himself.
He was soon passing the ‘Welcome to Cliffton’ sign and pulling into the car park of McMahon Associates – Accountants and Financial Planners. He checked himself in the rear view mirror. He was damn good looking, even if he did say so himself. He was wearing a black suit with a white business shirt and a matching black tie. He put his sunglasses on to complete the effect. He checked the time – 12:30pm. Next, he took his mobile phone and dialled Jasmine’s number.
She answered in one ring. “You there?”
“Yep, give me five minutes.” He hung up and slid the phone into his trouser pocket.
He climbed out of the car and took long strides into the foyer. There was nothing inside the building, except a counter with a sole receptionist. Exactly what they had planned on. An office is usually manned by only a skeleton staff at lunchtime. All the bosses and most of the other staff will be at lunch, or at least eating at their desk ignoring telephone calls.
He walked straight to the counter, without any hesitation. His heart was thumping wildly in his chest, but he didn’t let it show. This had to be done right and could only be carried off with the right attitude.
The receptionist was a young woman with blonde hair. Caleb guessed she was probably only about eighteen years old, if that. He breathed a little easier. Again, Jasmine was right. They would put the administration junior on the front desk to cover the lunch break of the main, more experienced, receptionist. If everything went to plan, she would be inexperienced, eager to please, and hoping to avoid trouble.
She saw him coming and plastered a smile on her face. “Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon. Look, I’m in a bit of a hurry. I’m Brent McBain’s business manager. I’m here to pick up the copies of his trust deeds he requested.” He spoke with authority in a ‘don’tmess- with-me’ way.
“Certainly, I will just check to see if they are ready.”
“I’m on the clock, so please hurry.” She picked up the telephone and dialled an internal number. She waited for an answer, after a few moments she replaced the handset.
“I will be back in a moment.” She left the desk and disappeared behind a door into the main offices. Caleb waited, tapping the counter. His phone rang in his pocket.
“Hello?”
“Yes Mr McBain, I’m here now.”
“Was I right?” Jasmine asked on the other end.
“Yes, sir.” The receptionist returned. She saw that her client was on the phone and hesitated, wondering if she should interrupt. “Hold on a minute, sir, the receptionist is back.”
“We’re just printing them now, it shouldn’t be a moment. You wanted all of them?” Caleb nodded. She apologised and sat back down.
Caleb turned his attention back to the phone. “I know sir, I’m going as fast as I can... Yes, one o’clock is settlement. I will have the deeds there by that time... They are printing them now and then I’ll come straight there.”
The office door opened and another young woman walked through with a fat envelope in her hand. She looked at Caleb, a little unsure whether she should hand them over.
“Sir, I have to go – I have the deeds. I’ll be there in five minutes. Yes Mr McBain, we will make it in time.” He flipped the mobile phone closed and smiled at the woman. “Mr McBain’s deeds?”
“Yes.” She hesitated.
“I really need to get these to the solicitors for settlement.”
“Of course, sorry, here you go.” She handed the envelope over.
Caleb took them and quickly started walking for the door. “Thank you, ladies.” He called over his shoulder. He didn’t look back or at the envelope. He got into his car and pulled straight out onto the road, getting back onto the highway. He was almost at the outskirts of Avalon when he checked his petrol gauge. It was almost empty so he pulled into a service station. He filled the petrol tank and bought a bottle of coke.
Sitting in his car, waiting to finish his drink, he opened the envelope and pulled out the documents. There were about two hundred pages of paper in all. He flicked through each deed. Mostly they all looked exactly the same; only the back schedule was different. It listed all the beneficiaries and appointors of the trusts. He flicked through each one, but the second to last one made him stop. He put the lid back on his coke and placed it in the drink holder. He looked at the names – he had heard them many times before. He took out the full deed and read through it.
It contained a legal spiel about the trustees’ powers, purposes of the trust, and income distribution. He put the deed in his glove box and replaced the others into the envelope. Starting up the car, he headed back into Avalon and back to work.
* * *
Jasmine was happy to hear that Caleb had the deeds. At least she thought he did by the sound of their phone conversation. She was impressed he had been so convincing. There may be potential for him to become her sidekick yet.
She was at Caleb’s house, trying to make sense of Logan’s video game. He was talking to the television set as if it could hear him and act on his commands. She couldn’t believe how much he got into the games. She looked at the clock on the sideboard.
“Well, it’s been real, Logan. See you around.”
“Mmm,” was the reply.
She retrieved the documents Chase had given her and drove to Brad’s house on the other side of town. She was almost at the turnoff, but decided to go down the next street instead. She turned the corner and drove to the end of the street. She slowed down as she passed her old house in Savoy Street. Except it wasn’t her old house, but a new one. They had had to demolish her family home, as most of it had completely collapsed in the fire.
She hadn’t been back there in over ten years. The brick house that now stood on the site betrayed nothing of the horrible event that had taken place there. The tree was still standing in the front yard. She remembered the wooden swing that her father had hung off of the strong branches. He would push her for hours when she was little.
She turned the car around and drove back to Brad’s house. Unlike her house, his was exactly as she remembered it. She pulled into the kerb and walked to the front door. It opened before she had a chance to knock. Brad’s beaming face greeted her. In all the years, he had never changed. She thought of him as she fingered her necklace that she had worn especially for that day.
* * *
“Uncle Brad, you came!” Jasmine ran up to Brad, almost knocking the birthday present out of his hand. He scooped her up with his free arm in a bear hug.
“How could I miss this? It’s not every day you turn fifteen. Happy Birthday, kid.” He let her go and handed over the small present. She took it with absolute delight. Holding it up to her ear, she shook it gently trying to guess what was inside. She gave up and began to unwrap it, careful not to tear the pretty purple paper. Inside was a necklace sitting neatly in a jeweller’s box. It was a heart made out of silver with a pink stone in the middle.
“Do you like it?” Brad asked nervously. Buying presents for teenagers wasn’t exactly his speciality. Jewellery was the safest option, but even that was a minefield.
“I love it, Uncle Brad. Thank you so much. I’m going to wear it all the time.” Jasmine gave him another hug before taking the necklace out of the box and fastening it around her neck. She held the silver heart between her fingers, feeling
every part of the pendant.
“Brad, I’m so glad you could make it.” Gran appeared and ushered them both inside to the table. It was set with placemats for five people. Lucy and Gramps were joining them too. “Please, take a seat. Lunch won’t be long.”
They followed her orders and took seats next to each other. Brad was always a guest at birthday lunches for her and Lucy. He had been helping them celebrate each passing year ever since they could remember. Sometimes his wife, Jenny, would join them too. She worked shifts at the hospital so it was difficult for her to attend every year. Even if she couldn’t be there, she would make sure to telephone and send her best wishes for the day. Jasmine loved them both like they were family.
“So, Miss Jasmine, tell me what’s new in your life,” Brad started. “I want to hear about everything.”
“Well, there isn’t much to tell really. I’m coming first in my science class, even though I refused to dissect a frog! My teacher said that it showed courage to stand up for what I believed in. She’s a really cool teacher. I’m also coming first in history; I love that class so much.”
“Do you know what you want to study after school yet?”
Jasmine shook her head. “I don’t know. I like science, but I don’t think I want to pursue it. I would rather work in an office doing something. Maybe I’ll be a lawyer? I haven’t decided yet. I have a few years to work it out.”
“That’s true. If you do decide on science, just let me know. I would be more than happy to teach you everything I know. It’s not much, but it might make the text books seems a bit more real,” he joked. “Is everything else okay?”
“They are still teasing me. I try and ignore them now, but they don’t stop.” She turned her eyes down to the floor.
“Would you like me to talk to the school?”
“No, Gran has already tried to.”
“Don’t let them kill your spirit, kid. Idiots will always be idiots. You’ll get your revenge on them one day when you are a huge success and they’re the ones driving your limousine. Just wait it out.”
“I know. I keep telling myself that. Hey, did Gran tell you I’ve been chosen for a special academic achievement award?” She watched as Brad nodded his head. “She told you already? Well, anyway, the ceremony is in two weeks time. Will you come?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Good. I want you to be there.”
For the rest of the afternoon they shared lunch followed by chocolate birthday cake. Jasmine loved her new family. She had finally understood that accepting your new situation didn’t take anything away from the love she felt for her parents. Having Brad around reminded her of her father; and Jenny, her mother. They were there when she needed them, without fail.
* * *
“Little Jasmine Parker, I’m glad you found the place after so long. Come in, come in. Can I get you a drink?” He walked her through to the side of the house where the kitchen and family room were located. He pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and indicated for her to sit down.
“Some water would be great, thank you. Your house is as lovely as always. Is Jenny here?”
“No, Jenny is out grocery shopping. I gave her my ATM card. Probably a mistake,” he joked. He poured two glasses of water and sat down at the table next to Jasmine. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Actually, I need a favour.”
“Go for it.”
“I have this paperwork that I came across and it looks scientific. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind having a look and seeing if it makes sense to you?”
“It would be an honour.” Grateful, she opened her handbag and pulled out the sheets of paper. Brad took them from her and read through each page.
“Does it make sense to you?”
“It does, but I’m worried this is not something you should have.” His forehead wrinkled as he looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
“These are recipes.”
“Recipes – for what, food?”
“No, drugs, bad ones. Drugs that will get you high for a few hours and then send you into dangerous lows. Potentially lethal drugs. Where did you get these?”
“Would you believe I found them?” She shrugged her shoulders, not expecting Brad to buy it.
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“I didn’t think so. Okay, here’s the short version. I got them from Avalon Laboratories...”
“You stole them?” Brad interjected.
“Not exactly stole, I copied them.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“It’s for Dad. Something went on at the labs and I’m trying to find out what. Will you just trust me on this? I promise I am not trying to concoct some illegal drugs to sell to the unsuspecting people of Avalon.”
“Because of the man your father was, I will trust you, but these can never fall into the wrong hands – do you understand? If some druggy got hold of these, it would be disastrous.”
“I understand. As soon as I’m done with them, I will personally burn them. But what makes them so awful? Besides the highs and lows thing.”
“The chemical combination; there is bleach in here, plus cocaine, nicotine, and more dangerous chemicals than you can poke a stick at. Someone would only need to have a minute overdose and they’d be dead in minutes. Plus, many of these ingredients are seriously addictive.”
“Why would Avalon Laboratories have recipes like these?”
“I don’t know, and I hate to think. We would use recipes for the drugs we created, of course, but they were therapeutic – nothing remotely like this. This is just plain crazy.”
“Can you tell me anything else about them?”
“Nope, just whatever you do, do not even think of trying to make these. You’ve heard of crystal meth labs blowing up? Well, this would be ten times worse.”
“I promise. I will use my powers for good and not evil.” She smiled, trying to lighten the mood, but it didn’t work. Brad stayed as sombre as she had ever seen him.
“Be careful Jasmine. That is my only advice.”
“I will, I promise.”
They made small talk for another half before Jasmine got up to leave. Bard walked her to her car.
“Don’t be a stranger; if you need anything else, you know where I am.”
“Thank you so much, Brad. I’ll be sure to come and see you. Say hello to Jenny for me.”
“I will. See you.” She waved through the glass and turned the car back onto the street. She was surprised about Brad’s findings. She knew the equations related to chemicals, but being recipes for drugs was something else altogether.
Instead of driving back to Caleb’s house, she decided to go into town and see if he wanted to have dinner with her later. She parked outside the newspaper office and went inside. As usual, Caleb was sitting at his desk typing away furiously.
“Hey Jaz. What are you doing here?”
“Wondering if you wanted to have dinner out tonight? You almost finished?”
“Sure am.” He hit the ‘enter’ button on his keyboard and his screen closed, as if to reiterate the point. He picked up his bag and they walked out onto the street. Dolce’s restaurant was two blocks from the office. They walked hand-in-hand. Being a Tuesday night, the restaurant had few patrons so they were seated immediately.
After ordering, Caleb opened his bag and handed over the envelope to Jasmine.
“Present for you.”
“For me? You shouldn’t have.” She mocked a surprised expression. She opened the envelope and slid out the papers halfway. She flicked through and counted. “There’s only four here. There should be five.”
“It’s all they gave me. Maybe they didn’t have the fifth one.”
“It’s possible, I guess. Oh well, at least I have these ones. I really didn’t know if they’d hand them over.”
“Well, luckily you’re dating the master of disguise.”
“Luckily I am.
” They had a meal of pasta and salad before retiring home for the evening.
* * *
Jasmine didn’t hear the alarm and slept in. It was almost 9:30am before she woke up. Remembering her appointment with Becky Storm, she quickly showered and dressed. Running for her car, she remembered she had promised to bring coffee.
She drove into the MacDonald’s drive-thru, willing the staff to go faster. There weren’t many people about, only the occasional family out together or the odd teenager staggering home from the night before.
She made it to the Anderson Street park with only minutes to spare. She decided to stay in her car, making sure all the doors were locked first. She watched the road, waiting for Becky’s BMW to pull into the street. She had thought about inviting Becky to her apartment, but it still didn’t feel secure there. She had visions that listening devices or cameras were installed all over the place, watching and recording her every move. She told herself it was a silly notion, but still couldn’t shake it completely.
Becky arrived right on time. Jasmine watched as she parked her car and got out. Leaning against the driver’s side door, she scanned the park.
Jasmine hurried to meet her and offered her the coffee. The park was bustling with people. She hadn’t counted on that. There were kids playing in the playground, people walking their dogs, and the BBQs were being fired up. They found a quiet piece of grass that was in the shade and sat down.
“Soooo, Jazzy Jaz. What’s up?” Becky sounded more upbeat and focused than she had on the phone. She took the lid off her coffee and took a small sip to test it; she couldn’t find fault with it.
Jasmine pulled out the two notes she had received and showed them to her. “I got these two notes recently. I just wondered if you knew anything about them?” Becky stared at them, not taking them from her and not giving anything away by her expression.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why would I know anything about them?” she said, somewhat defensively.
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